What's Meant to Be
by KSpazzed
Summary: Nico broke Sonny's heart. Then Sonny broke Nico's. Sides were taken. Comfort was given. Love was found. And a three-named jerk's plan just might ruin So Random! forever. When Sonny's broken, Chad does all he can to unintentionally break her even more.
1. The First Moment of Insanity

**What's Meant to Be**

**Author: **Me! :P Spazz!

**Summary: **It all started on the night Sonny had thought was the worst of her life. Picking up the pieces of a broken heart isn't easy... and it's harder when everyone's against you. Even those Sonny considered her friends are on the other side. All alone in _So Random!_, there's only one person she can go to... until he hurts her, too. Love is found and lost, people are betrayed, and in the end everything has changed.

**Rating: **T for some mild language

**Author's Note: **Okay, I'm trying out some interesting writing styles here. :P As you can tell, the first chapter is just a poem. There will probably be some other poems, songfics, normal form... etc. I hope you like it. :) It's NOT just a Channy fanfic (yes, of course, there will be some Chad and Sonny here. I don't want to give away too much so I won't say anything more about that). So don't think it's all about them. It's not. Not even halfway. The first chapter is in Sonny's point of view... some others might have Zora, Chad, Tawni, Nico, Grady, Portlyn, and possibly some OCs or minor characters.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Sonny With a Chance _or any of its characters.

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**The First Moment of Insanity  
Sonny**

It is raining tonight  
Oh, heck, it's _always _raining  
and I feel like my heart is splitting in two  
as I race out of that restaurant  
crying and wishing _so damn much  
_that these limos don't exist  
and I don't have to put up with a driver.  
All I want is to be alone.

I thought I was in _love  
_ell oh vee ee, love, for the first time  
that's what a person thinks when some guy comes along  
right? I'm not alone here, right?  
Because with everything I've been through  
God, I can't deal with it if I'm through it _alone.  
_Even though, physically,  
all I want is to be alone

It's not like I didn't see this coming  
It's not like I didn't see it in his eyes  
the feelings haven't been mutual for a while  
but I guess I clung on because,  
once, a while ago,  
I thought he was the best thing that had happened to me  
But now, because of him  
(I won't _lie _though, he wasn't a jerk, he didn't cheat  
maybe it would be easier that way)  
all I want is to be alone

I'm melting down now  
with tears spilling down my cheeks  
and there are the flashes, the _unbearable _flashes of light  
I can't take it.  
Hollywood sucks.  
I can see all the magazine covers now  
and I wish I only had someone to blame  
but I'm in this alone  
and here I was before, thinking  
that all I wanted was to be alone?

I'm mistaken, like I guess I was, and have been  
about _everything  
_This is a cold that won't go away  
This is a movie scene that will be deleted  
This is a cold knife against my back  
This is the worst  
Get me _out _of here

I climb into the limo  
ignoring the gaze of the driver  
I don't have anything to answer to.  
I'm not answering to anything.  
I drive, drive, drive away  
with tears still a pool at the bottom of my eyes.  
So much for sunny  
when it's a rainy day  
and sunny is all gone

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**Author's Note: **Haha, punny! :) Oh, whatever. Anyway, please review! I'll probably post the next chapter soon-ish. Pleasssse tell me what you think!

Oh, and favorite without reviewing... ah, I still love anyone who even reads these, but I'd really appreciate reviews, 'kay? They make my day!


	2. On the Curb

**Author's Note**: Yeah, the second chapter came pretty quickly, right? Don't expect updates to always be this quick. Okay, this chapter is in Tawni's point of view, and in it you get to find out what happened to Sonny! :P Hope you like it. The drama hasn't started quite yet... some will probably set in next chapter. All I can say is, poor Sonny. Haha. You'll have to wait and see what happens. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Sonny With a Chance.

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On the Curb  
Tawni

I'm riding around Hollywood in my pink convertible, white sunglasses covering up my eyes and a smile painted on my face, in case there are any reporters around to snap a picture of Tawni Hart's night on the town. The paparazzi love me. Already I've given what must be fifty autographs and probably about fifteen fake phone numbers to desperate, ugly, not-famous guys. I laugh to myself and twist the steering wheel to head home.

A fancy restaurant is on one side of the street, and I look towards it, feeling a little bit of longing for a second. Tawni Hart is single at the moment - boy, the magazines love _that_. As do the sixty-year-old perverts who hunt me down on the streets. If ever there were a reason for security, it would be potential rapists lurking the streets. For a quick moment, I wish that I had a boyfriend who would take me there, like Sonny does. Then I blink, and the feeling fades. Who needs boys? They break your heart and make you wear crappy clothes because you don't care. There's no way I can wear crappy clothes because of a boy. My reputation is so much more important than that.

I will always put what people think of me before a stupid _guy._

While I'm cruising down the street, I catch sight of a hunched-over figure sitting on the curb in front of the restaurant, and a crowd of disappointed photographers hurrying away. My breath catches immediately when I realize the person looks familiar. I gently nudge the break and ease to a stop by the curb, leaning my head over the door.

"What are you doing, Nico? You're going to get your Ralph Lauren shirt dirty!" I squeal, cursing myself for even stopping in the first place. I don't care what Nico does or anything about him. I don't care about anyone except myself… and okay, Sonny a little bit. That's probably why I pulled over.

He raises his head just a little bit and I see his expression. I can't help from gasping a little bit; this can't be Nico. Nico is always either happy or angry. When he's in a good mood, he'll be laughing (usually with Grady or Sonny) and goofing off. When he's ticked off about something, he'll be shouting about it or trying to work out a way to fix it. Right now, his face is void of all emotion, and it scares me. "I hurt her, Tawni. I hurt her bad," he mutters.

My stomach clenches. "What happened?" I demand. "Tell me _everything._"

"I - I took Sonny out tonight… would it have been better if I just told her at the studio? Anyway," he presses on, "I told her… I told her that I just wanted to be friends. That I wasn't in love with her. And she mentioned the time that I told her I loved her…" He swallows nervously, carefully studying my face for a reaction. "And I told her that I had just said it, that I hadn't meant it, and I was sorry. Then she ran out."

I can't help it. I roll my eyes. "Nico, you can't break up with a girl somewhere public! Then all of the paparazzi will be able to see the reaction first hand!" I can just imagine the publicity the ending of 'Sonnico' will get. I shake my head slowly. The whole world had seen one of my best friends get hurt. I guess I was right about boys.

But Nico looks so blank, so lost… my heart aches a little bit. "Nico, it's okay. You probably did the right thing, and Sonny will get over it." I've gotten a little better at this comforting thing, I like to think, at least when I speak the comfort instead of trying to give a hug, but all Nico does is groan and put his head in his hands.

I feel so bad for him. "Do you want a ride home?" I suggest.

"No," he declines. "No thanks. I'll just… get a taxi or something when I'm ready to go back."

"A _taxi_?" I choke out incredulously. "Don't you know how many germs are probably on the seat? And _dirt_? You'll ruin your entire outfit!"

"Tawni, right now I don't care about that."

I shrug, still shocked, and rev my engine. The car starts rolling away, and I glance at Nico in the rearview mirror. He looks broken. Not because of lost love… just because he _hurt _a friend of his, someone who used to be more than a friend.

My heart goes out to him. I didn't know that boys stopped caring about clothes after breakups too.

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**Author's Note: **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! PLEASE review. I'd love to know what you think. Pretty please? I'm prepared to make puppy eyes at you.


	3. Phone Call

**Author's Note: **Another quick update! Hee hee. Yes, I write short chapters. I also think I have a little too much time on my hands. This one's in Nico's viewpoint, focusing again on him and Sonny. (To clarify - this story is NOT Sonnico, it just starts out that way. The pairings, although I bet most of you can guess really easily about a few of them, will be revealed later.) Oh, and I have a poll on my profile now! Please check it out, it would help me see what the readers want to see most of, because I have several different plotlines all combined into one for this story.

**Disclaimer: **Nope, still own nothing. Not even Motel 6. Darn it!

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Phone Call  
Nico

I finally go home around midnight, thinking of myself as kind of ridiculous, sitting out there on the road feeling sad about a girl I'd stopped loving a while ago. But this isn't just any girl. This is _Sonny_, a bouncy brunette I'll have to see again and again at the studio. I'll have to see the hurt in her eyes when she looks at me, rather than the laughing brown orbs I used to look at before any of this even happened. If only I hadn't told her I loved her.

I don't get a taxi, smiling a little bit when I remember what Tawni said about them. She is so naïve - she knows how Hollywood works, but not the real world. It's not like she's never been in a relationship, just nothing serious. She doesn't know what it's like to truly care about someone else.

But maybe I don't either.

So I just walk home, resenting the fact of having to go to work the next day. Tawni didn't seem too angry, but out of all of us, Sonny's the only one she seems willing to put up with, so the fact that I broke up with her will probably mean Tawni will be fuming tomorrow. Grady might be on my side, but I don't even know about that. Zora - well, Zora's just Zora. I don't know what she'll think.

I don't exactly feel like going to my apartment. It's too lonely in there. I'd have too much time to think about what I'd done. So instead, I turn towards a Motel 6 and buy a room for the night, trying to ignore the front desk female exclaiming shrilly on the phone that she'd just given a room key to Nico Harris.

I stride up to the room and open the door. It's smaller than my apartment, and just as lonely, with one difference - a television set. I can vegetate without a care. I grab for the remote and turn it on.

The screen's still black, fading into color, but even before that the sound comes on: "Check out his hair."

I turn the set off immediately, feeling sick to my stomach. I hope Sonny's okay. I don't want her to still be hurt, although I know she is. But I have to call her, to at least make sure she got home alright.

She's speed dial number one on my cell phone. I make a mental note to change it back to Grady before I hit send. Lifting the phone to my ear, I hear a couple of rings before a sad, tired voice reaches me.

"What do you want, Nico?"

"To make sure you're okay," I tell her.

"So now you're as conceited as Chad Dylan Cooper, then? Don't think a girl can be okay without you?" she snaps.

I'm taken aback. "No, no, that's not it…"

"Then what is it, Nico? Yes, I'm fine. That could have waited till we got to the studio tomorrow, don't you think?"

"You're coming?"

"YES, you idiot! I'm not so affected by your loss that I'm going to curl up under my bed for a week. I'm fine, no thanks to you. So please, leave me alone!"

She hangs up with a click that feels like a gunshot. I'm glad that she's okay, but I must have said the wrong thing somewhere in there. It hurts, knowing that she thinks of me as a jerk now. I still wanted to be friends. I slowly lower the cell phone from my ear.

Maybe I've lost her forever.

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**Author's Note: **So that's chapter three! Hope you enjoyed, even though I wasn't sure it was all that great... oh well. So anyway, PLEASE review. I really want to get 20 reviews or more on this story. It's not even close to over, but you could always help me start working on my goal now! Hee hee.

Next chapter... probably the reactions of the So Random! cast. Subject to change if I get a sudden stroke of inspiration. This chapter needed to exist for the future ones to make sense. :D


	4. Picking Sides

**Author's Note: **Get ready to see the cast of So Random!'s reaction! I hope you enjoy. I had fun writing this one but I'm not sure if it's my best work ever, sorry about that. Oh, and if you like this story at all, PLEASE check my profile and vote in the poll! I really want to see which character you guys want to see most of in this story. You can vote for two. It would really help, seeing as I have more than one plotline and I need to know which one to write about most.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Sonny With a Chance, any of its characters, or _Bones_.

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Picking Sides  
Grady

"She WHAT, man?"

"I called her to make sure she was okay and she called me a conceited idiot - no better than Chad Dylan Cooper - and hung up on me." My best bud Nico seems really dejected about this whole thing. I've never had anything against Sonny, but now -

"No better than CHIP MCDRAMAPANTS? You don't need to deal with that kind of girl, Nico. We got each other!" I exclaim, trying my best to make him feel better. But he only shrugs and nods and turns back to _Bones _on the television.

Zora and Tawni walk in, Tawni's face turning softer when she sees Nico on the couch. Since when did Tawni actually care about any of the rest of us? Zora's carrying a blueprint of some kind, an expression of determination on her face. "Okay, people, let's get to work," calls Zora, and she spreads out the paper on the coffee table.

"What's that?" I ask her.

"A plan to get rid of Sonny," Zora responds with an evil smirk.

Nico shakes his head. "No, don't do anything rash. She had a right to be angry with me."

I'm thinking about something different. "Hey, you're both on Nico's side too?"

"Well, la _duh_," Tawni answers with a slight flip of her hair. "Nico's been here longer. Besides, Sonny is getting better reviews from critics than me. And TAWNI HART deserves every single review she's gotten!" Her eyes dart around the room.

"Yeah!" Zora says, eyes sparkling with a hint of anger. "She disapproves of my pranks! Well, usually. Well, only sometimes, but we don't need a mother around here! And… um… her bubbly personality is creepy!" She shudders for emphasis, pigtails bouncing.

"There are no _sides _to this, guys!" Nico practically yells. "It's just between me and Sonny. Thanks for the support, but you don't have to choose sides!"

The door is thrown open and Sonny strides in, not looking half as confident and happy as usual, yet she seems almost normal. No tear marks, nothing to signal that Nico had broken up with her last night. "Okay, guys, so I've thought of some funny sketches for our show!" she tells us, her gaze avoiding Nico's. She drops a small pile of papers on the table beside the blueprint, which Zora frantically grabs for and throws away, a little bit panicked.

I pick up one of them and scan the page, looking through all the parts. "Wait a minute… this one's about a blubbering idiot guy breaking up with a girl and she dumps fro yo on his head!"

Sonny rips that sketch out of my hands, blushing furiously. "Um, oops, that wasn't one of them. Sorry!" she squeaks. "Take a look at the others, they're hilarious. Hang on…" She picks up the pile and leafs through the papers, taking out quite a few of them before plopping the remaining four or five sheets down. "There, those ones are to die for."

I can't help but glare at her, noticing that Nico is hiding his face and Zora is gaping at Sonny. "You would be mean enough to write a sketch about you and Nico and have us read it? _Act _it? What happened to Hollywood's good girl?" I demand.

Sonny backs away, her eyes darting all around, searching for an exit. "No! I never meant for anyone to see that! It must have gotten into the pile by accident!" she begs.

"Pour salt in poor Nico's wounds, won't you?" Zora jumps in. Sonny's eyes start watering, and I feel guilty, but only a little bit.

"Tawni, you believe me, right? You're on my side here, right?" she tries.

"There are no _sides _-" Nico interjects.

"On _your _side?" Tawni says incredulously, laughing. "Yeah, right! Look, Sonny, you're obviously a whole new definition of diva, so I don't want to see you for the rest of the day!" She stalks out, turning her head once to look back at us.

Sonny can't hold it back, and she starts sobbing. Nico instinctively gets to his feet, but she dashes out before he can say a word. I can hear her cries for a few minutes before they fade away, and I can't help but wonder what I've done. Then I turn to Nico, who looks slightly annoyed and sad, and I say, "Sorry, bro."

He mumbles something and heads out of the studio too.

Zora looks up at me. "Here, hang on, I'll get Tawni. We need to have a meeting," she says. "TAWNI!"

Tawni appears immediately and sits down on the couch. "Meeting, right, Zora?"

Zora nods. "Okay, so we have a new mission. We need to cheer Nico up. Did you see how sad he was?"

"Yeah," I agree. "I hate seeing him like this."

"Me too!" Tawni briskly nods. "How can we cheer him up?"

Zora grins. "Well, there are a few new inventions I've created that I'd love to try out…"

"No, we want Nico alive at the end of this," I argue. "We should just do things he likes to do with him, okay? Get his mind off of Sonny."

"Sounds good to me," Tawni shrugs.

Zora nods. "Okay, everyone put your hands in, and on three, we yell muffins!"

"Muffins?" I ask, confused.

She rolls her eyes. "Just go with it."

"Okay, but after, can we go down to the commissary to get some muffins?"

"Of course!" Zora says, as though it was obvious, then she sticks her hand out. I place mine on top of hers, and Tawni tentatively adds hers, muttering something about how we should be careful with her new manicure. "One, two, three…"

"MUFFINS!" Zora and I shout, yanking our hands up. Tawni just sort of smiles and backs up.

"Kay, well I think I'll go first, alright? I'll try to cheer him up today, and you guys can go later," Tawni orders, and skips out of the room, humming to herself.

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**Author's Note: **I hope you liked it! Again, please check out the poll, and please review! It would mean so much to me.

Next chapter - A. We follow Sonny outside and see what happens next with her. B. We watch Tawni trying to cheer Nico up. Please tell me in your review which one you would like to see next! :)


	5. A Brilliantly Executed Plan

**Author's Note: **Hey, sorry about the wait. It's getting busier around here! :) I hope you enjoy the following. I kind of like their conversation, although it's not the best thing I've ever written... oh well. Judge that for yourself. Again, please check out the poll... as it is right now, I'll mostly write through the viewpoints of Chad, Grady, and Nico. If you'd rather it be someone else, vote! :P

**Disclaimer: **I do not and will never own Sonny with a Chance.

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A Brilliantly Executed Plan, if I Do Say So Myself  
Chad

I'm sitting outside of the studio, trying without much success to perfect a scene from _Mackenzie Falls_. "Portlyn, the moon and the sun shine for you. The ground is there only for you to walk across it. There is never rain when you are around, only sunny days, and many stars at night." I shudder. I would never watch this crap if I weren't on it. It's too cheesy for words. I fold the script in half and shake my head slowly.

An unfamiliar wail reaches my ears, and I see Sonny Munroe racing out of the building, tears running down her cheeks. It chills me; I've never seen her like this before. Now that she has a broken heart from Nick or whatever his name was, I guess I'll see a lot more of Sonny's not-so-bright side.

She buries her head in her arms, quelling the sniffs and sobs, and sits down right there in the middle of the grass. Damn. I've never really seen anything like this except for in _Mackenzie Falls_, or when I've broken up with a girl myself (they're _always _pulling the run-and-cry), but then I didn't really care. I sigh heavily, get up, and stride over to her.

"Sonny," I greet her.

"Chad," she responds, her voice weak and muffled. I roll my eyes that she can't even lift her head up to glare at me.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"It doesn't _sound _like nothing. You can tell me. You can tell me anything, because I'm there for you," I tell her, thinking hard.

"I don't need to hear a shitty speech from your stupid drama, Chad."

"So you _do _watch it," I tease.

"Leave me the hell alone!" Sonny shouts.

"Fine."

"Fine!"

"Fine," I counter, lengthening the conversation.

"FINE!" Sonny bellows, practically in hysterics.

"Geez, Sonny."

"Geez, Chad."

I crouch down beside her, getting my Hugo Boss suit damp from the dew (_damn _it). "Really, Sonny, what happened?"

"They're all on _his _side," she mutters. "They all hate me."

"What?" I ask, confused.

She exhales in frustration. "The cast of 'Chuckle City' hates me because of Nico. They think that I hurt him and that I've turned into a diva." She says 'Chuckle City' in a mocking voice.

That sounds unlike them. "Wait, but didn't this Nick guy break up with _you_?"

"Nico," she corrects, a little bit of laughter in her voice. "And yeah, he did. But Tawni, Zora, and Grady all think that Nico is the broken heart and I'm the evil witch who destroyed it."

"Tawni, Zora, Grady… those are the other cast members, right?"

She finally looks up, almost seeming like she wants to slap me. "Yeah, Chad, _duh_. They hate me because I was angry last night, so I wrote out a sketch about the situation, trying to make it seem more funny to me. But it got mixed in with the other sketches I brought in and the others read it. They think I wrote it to spite Nico or something."

"Idiots," I say, and then something springs to my mind. Chuckle City hates Sonny already. This could be fantastic for my show. A smile lights up my features.

"Shh, Sonny, it'll be okay."

"No it won't!" she whimpered. "They all hate me so much… I thought Tawni was my friend. I thought we were halfway bonding. Grady was always good for a laugh, and it was almost like having a brother, with how protective he was, but…" She coughs into her palm. "Zora was just funny, with all her pranks. I almost had to babysit her half the time. She was like my little sister. And you already know about Nico…" Her eyes trail down towards the grass as she tries to quell another sob.

"Don't worry about them. They're all jerks. Morons. You deserve so much better."

"When did you start being nice?" she whispers, glancing at me suspiciously. My eyes widen for a second in panic before calming down and shooting her a charming smirk.

"I have my moments," I tell her gently, just like at the prom. Just like back then, it works. She shrugs immediately and sends me a halfway apology smile. I just nod.

"I'm sorry for what's happened to you," I say.

"It's not your fault," she replies, blushing a little bit.

"I can't see how anyone would hate you!" I say, harnessing all my passion and emotion, praying I get it right this time. "You should mean the world to them, like you do to me. Uhh… the moon and the sun shine for you. The ground is only there for you to walk across it. There's never rain when you're around, only sunny days, and stars at night." I stare at her.

"Seriously?" she asks, and she laughs, cheeks turning blood red. Without a moment's hesitation, I lean in and kiss her.

_Come on, come on… this is Hollywood. You're never alone in Hollywood! _I think to myself, scared for a second.

Suddenly I see a flash of light through my shut eyes.

I grin into the kiss.

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**Author's Note: **I hope you liked it! There's a review button, right down there. Please pretty please with sugar on top review?

Oh, and since I haven't been able to reply to every single review (too busy, sorry) I just wanted to let you all know that I really appreciate it when you take the time to read my story and review it. A special shout-out to sonnycentral, who has been so supportive and reviewed a ton. I love reading reviews, you all make my day. :P Thanks!

Next chapter... Tawni tries to cheer Nico up! :)


	6. Froyo Disaster

**Author's Note: **Ack! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update! I've been really busy this week. Hopefully updates won't take this long usually, but I have to warn you, they might. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'm actually getting close to the end on this, though I doubt it feels like it. I'm probably going to write a sequel though. Please vote in my poll, because now it applies to more than one story. You can find the poll on my profile. Oh, and another thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I wish I could write a reply to every single one, but to be honest, I have so little time on the computer nowadays that it's just kind of hard. And then I forget to... ugh, sorry.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Sonny With a Chance. I don't even own my own television set. And my brother hogs the one downstairs... sorry about my pointless ramblng. xD

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Fro-yo Disaster  
Nico

Tawni folds her arms over her chest, glaring at me. "No. No _way._"

I can't help but grin. "Come on, Tawni, you said you wanted to cheer me up! You said _anything_, remember?"

"No. I didn't. You're twisting my words! I'll do anything but this," she squeals, and I laugh, feeling a little bit happier for the first time all day.

"It won't be _that _bad."

"Yes it will!" Tawni protests. "I do NOT want frozen yogurt all over this top! I just bought it, and I look gorgeous in it!" Her scowl turns to a smile as she flips her hair back.

"So change into a t-shirt!" I suggest. She gapes at me, completely surprised.

"And have TAWNI HART be seen in a T-SHIRT?" she almost yells. "Not a chance! Photographers are _everywhere_."

"Then stop complaining and come on!" I tell her, and she stomps her foot and follows me into the commissary.

It's deserted except for us. The chairs are all pushed in, and every table is almost sparkling. I can see our destination from where I stand - the frozen yogurt machine. I remember doing this with Grady, and it was great. I'm sure Tawni will love it too, once I teach her how to have a little fun and not just care about looks all the time.

I start towards the machine. "Just watch out for Murphy," I whisper. "He'll yank you away faster than you can say cold deliciousness."

She smiles evilly. "Cold deliciousness," she states, and then, "MURPH-"

Quick as a flash, I cover her mouth with my hand. "Shh!" I say, trying to keep from laughing. "Seriously, it'll be fun."

"Mmmph!" Tawni cries.

"I'll move my hand when you promise to be quiet," I negotiate. She seems ready to give in, and then -

She _licks _my hand.

"Ugh!" I exclaim, removing my hand and flicking it back and forth. "Geez!"

Tawni gives me a smug smirk before holding up her perfectly-manicured hands to call out again.

I sigh. "Please, Tawni - for me?"

She stares at me for a minute, and then pouts. "Fine, let's get this over with," she mutters, and drags her feet over to the yogurt machine.

I start cracking up and sprint after her. "Since when would something like _that _work?" I ask her.

Tawni puts her hands on her hips defensively. "Since now," she says, raising her head in a _huff_ sort of way. I decide not to press the matter and lean towards the machine.

"You go first!" I say, just in case Murphy comes in before Tawni can try. She groans.

"Do I have to?"

"Yeah," I say, chuckling. She rolls her eyes and lowers her head under the machine.

"I'm ready."

"Okay, chocolate or vanilla?" I ask.

"I don't care, Nico!" Tawni says in annoyance. I shrug and press down the vanilla lever. White frozen yogurt comes slowly out of the machine, and Tawni almost flinches away, but closing her eyes, she doesn't. It fills her mouth instantly. I relax my grip on the lever and start cracking up.

She flips her head up and traps the dessert, a little bit of melted yogurt dribbling down her chin. Then a laugh escapes through her lips. "Mmf, it'th cold!" she yells, her mouth full.

I'm laughing so hard, I forget to be quiet. And before long, Tawni's laughing too. I open my eyes and look at her, her blonde hair flying, her eyes shut tight, and yogurt still on her lips.

"Hey, you got some on your face," I tell her, and her eyes fly open. She grabs a napkin and starts dabbing her cheek.

"No, not there!" I laugh, and lean forward. "Here, I'll get it."

She starts leaning in too, her eyes meeting mine and slowly closing. Our lips are _that _close to colliding -

"Messing with the yogurt machine _again?_" a voice exclaims in disbelief, and grabs me by the ear.

I open my eyes and call "Ow!", which is what Tawni's shouting too. Never have I been so mad to see Murphy, a sinister grin on his face as he stares at me.

"We weren't eating frozen yogurt out of the machine, dude!" I argue angrily, and his wolfish smile grows wider.

"Then what's that on her shirt?" he asks, gesturing to the melted vanilla fro-yo on Tawni's pink top. Tawni looks down and opens her mouth in disbelief.

"I KNEW this would happen!" she squeals. "Let me go so I can wash this right away!"

Murphy rolls his eyes and releases our ears. I rub mine, wincing from the pain. "Fine, but I'm gonna wait right here until I see you guys leave," Murphy agrees in his nasally voice. With an eagle eye, he watches us as we amble out of the cafeteria.

As soon as we're out of his sight, Tawni and I both crack up, and head off to our dressing rooms.

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**Author's Note: **Hope you liked it! Come on, you can _not _tell me that this couple isn't adorable. Just give 'em a chance! :) Please review!

Next chapter - Chad's plan isn't working out so well for Sonny...


	7. All Your Little Lies

**Author's Note: **I'm not sure, but I really like how this chapter turned out. I hope you like it too. :P Fast update! Yay! I think we have two or three more chapters until the end of this story. This chapter is a few days after the kiss and the yogurt incident, which happened at about the same time. Oh, and thanks to whoever nominated my story for the SWAC Awards! It's not this one, it's _This Was the End, _for Best Angst. I really appreciate it.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Sonny With a Chance, Hairspray, or Zac Efron.

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All Your Little Lies  
Sonny

My stomach feels a little bit queasy, just as it has for days now. It's hard to wrap my mind around this… this… this near blasphemy. I_ kissed_ Chad Dylan Cooper. Three-named jerk throb. The single guy everyone on my cast loathes with a passion… me included. I used to think so, anyway. At least I know I'm passionate about him. But - and this takes the cake - I'm not quite sure in which way. I do feel kind of sick about kissing him, but that's probably because I don't know what's supposed to happen next. Does this make us a couple..?

No. No effin' way. It was just a one-time thing, and I'm glad. Right?

It's unhealthy to keep thinking of Ch - no, I won't say his name. I have to stop thinking about that guy with more arrogance than Zac Efron has hairspray. Hairspray. Get it? Haha… yeah. Anyway.

I unfold _Tween Weekly Magazine _and start absently leafing through it in a futile attempt to rid my mind of thoughts of _him_. Wow, Sonny, this is a great idea. Seeing as Chad is _the _Hollywood blonde that every girl swoons over and dreams of making out with, of course he wouldn't be in a magazine directed to that kind of audience.

Oh damn. Now I'm thinking of him on a first name basis, like we're all close and personal. Ugh. Gross.

Then I _really _look at what I'm reading, and decide I don't have time for this crap full of lies that any celebrity could debunk if the reporters gave honest interviews. I close it and throw it down on the coffee table.

I gasp and scream a little bit.

On the cover, there's a picture of me kissing Chad Dylan Cooper.

"Oh no!" I exclaim, grabbing it up and sprinting towards the trash can. I can keep this a secret, if only no one else sees it -

This is Hollywood, Sonny. No one has secrets. And when your secret is printed on the cover of one of the most popular celeb magazines around, then you're completely screwed. My head sags. As if my cast mates didn't already hate me enough. I just hope they'll listen to my side of the story -

Just like they did last time. Oh, brother.

But maybe. I put on a fake smile as Tawni slams the door shut to the prop room. _Maybe she didn't see it or hear about it. Maybe she doesn't know, _I think optimistically. Those hopes vanish as I see that she's glowering at me.

"Hi Tawni, how was your day?" I squeal in an octave I normally don't reach unless I'm singing.

"Don't change the subject!" she orders with rage.

"There wasn't a subject to change!" I joke.

"Yes there was! You… kissed… Chad… Dylan… Cooper!" she snarls. "What the _hell _were you thinking, Sonny?"

She hasn't looked this mad since I came and upstaged her on that first day, a long time ago. "It wasn't my fault," I pleaded, trying to make her understand. "I was just so sad, because you guys hated me, and I lost Nico… then Chad came up to me, and he was being really nice, and then he just kissed me. I was really vulnerable, so I guess I kinda… kissed him back?"

"I can't BELIEVE you, Sonny Munroe!" Tawni screeched. "He's a HORRIBLE person! Oh my gosh, you still don't know how things work around here, do you?"

"Yeah, I do," I mumbled.

"No, you DON'T! Because first you hurt Nico -"

"Which you normally wouldn't care about," I interject angrily.

She walks over to me and slaps me. I stagger backward, having been unprepared for the fire lighting up her eyes. "Shut UP! I care _a ton _about Nico. So much more than I care about you!"

I will not cry. I've cried enough in these past few days. I'm going to be strong now. I'm going to fight back. "Tawni, it was a stupid accident, and believe me, I completely regret it. Will you please forgive me?"

"Tawni Hart does not _forgive and forget_. Tawni Hart holds grudges. First you hurt Nico, then you made out with our rival!"

"It was NOT a make out. Just a kiss."

"Whatever." Tawni waves her hand down, rolling her eyes. "The point is, you connected lip-to-lip with So Random!s greatest enemy. I HATE you!"

"Diva!" I shout at her, fighting the tears that are coming to my eyes.

She storms out, and I have no choice but to follow her. We're rehearsing a sketch today involving the Check It Out Girls, and I'm filled with dread for that.

I rush down to the stage, where Zora and Grady are looking like they want to tear me limb from limb. Nico isn't having much to do with me, as he has been ever since we broke up. My heart sinks. I'd been hoping at least one person would be on my side here.

"Okay everyone, places!" Marshall calls out. I stumble to my position and dance when the music comes on.

"Check out her ugly mascara," I say.

"Well, check out her stupidity," Tawni responds, smirking.

"That's not the line -" Marshall starts.

"Check out how sorry she is!" I spit.

"Check out how dramatic she is. She should be on _Mackenzie Falls, _with her _boyfriend,_" Tawni counters.

"He's not my _boyfriend_!" I scream.

"Yes he _is_!" Tawni shoves me.

"No he's NOT!" I push her back.

She flies backwards and falls over her own feet, landing on her back with a cry. Nico rushes to her side, and so do I. "Oh my gosh, Tawni, I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

"Get AWAY from me, you delinquent!" she hollers.

I back away slowly and she grins at me before leaning her head back and moaning as if in pain. My eyes widen in indignant shock. "Guys, she's faking! She fell over by herself! I didn't push her _that _hard -"

"Shut up, Sonny!" Nico yells. I stare at him for a minute and then start sobbing.

"Uh, Sonny?" Grady says uncomfortably. I turn to him, thinking how great it was that at least someone believed me.

"Yeah?" I choked out, expecting to hear a _Are you okay? _or something along those lines.

"Marshall wants to see you in his office. Right away. He says it's important."

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**Author's Note: **Yeah, that can't be good. Please review! I'm getting SO close to my goal of twenty reviews! Yay! Thanks so much to anyone who has reviewed.

Next chapter - well, I haven't decided yet. It will either be something that will set the Tawnico plot for the sequel in motion (I'm not even sure yet that I'll use the plot I'm thinking of though) or a confrontation between Chad and Sonny. You'll know what his plan was, and you'll know what Marshall wanted, even though I bet you can guess.


	8. Mistakes

**Author's Note: **Yup, I chose the Chad and Sonny one. The plot I had in mind for Nico and Tawni was just... pathetic. I can do something else with them, or, if you'd prefer, nothing. Their story could end as it is now. There's really no problem with them. But whatever, I might still include them in the sequel. I hope you enjoy this chapter, even though it made me sad writing it. I don't think I did my idea justice. Sigh. Oh well. Next chapter is the LAST CHAPTER. Gasp! But I'll most likely write a sequel. It's not completely necessary to read this one to understand the sequel, but it does help. Unless there's a change of plan, the sequel will be called _Perspective, _so look out for it. Oh, and THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! I have _over _20 reviews now. Over! My goal has been met. Thanks so much for reviewing, all.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything but the plot.

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Mistakes  
Chad

I've already heard all the buzz, and to be honest, it's getting old. "Are you with Sonny? As a couple? What about the ongoing feud between _So Random! _and _Mackenzie Falls_?" reporters ask every minute, all the time. I'm losing my voice, shouting at them that I don't have a comment. Of course, every magazine will interpret that differently. Most of them will probably think we have a secret (or not-so, anymore) relationship. I smirk to myself. All the better for my plan. This is working amazingly well, even better than I could have predicted. So much for just being a pretty face. Chad Dylan Cooper is a genius, too.

I'm hiding from the paparazzi in the 'hang out place' for _Mackenzie Falls, _laughing by the chocolate fountain with Portlyn. Even she appreciates a plan well done, the airhead. Sure, I've explained what I've done to all of my cast mates, earning their full support. My ego has been inflated and I feel damn proud of myself.

_Bam!_

The door is opened and closed with deadly force and I jump backwards, sure that it's a serial killer or someone vicious and violent because of the sound the door made when it shut; it sounded like it was about to fall off its hinges. Instead, a girl with flat, damp brown hair, tear marks down her face, smeared mascara on her cheeks, and rage in her eyes stomps forward, shooting icy glares in my direction. She's dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, not expensive at all, with a Minnesota Twins baseball cap on her head.

Sonny.

Now _this _is the part I wasn't prepared for.

The rest of the cast scatters in different directions, perhaps sensing that Sonny and I need to be alone, but more likely they want to be far, far away when the volcano blows its top. I swallow nervously but then give myself a little pep talk. _Chad Dylan Cooper will _always _be confident. Don't let some _girl _shake you. _But this isn't just _some _girl. This is Sonny.

That kind of thought doesn't help anyone, Cooper.

"What have you _done_?" Sonny shrieks, and I cover my ears with my palms, chuckling.

"Sonny, Sonny, Sonny. I never used to think you were a diva, but _this _-"

"Oh NO, Cooper. You are NOT playing games with me now. I'm on to you." She walks right up to me, puts her fingers on my chest, and shoves. I teeter and take a step back, meeting her fiery gaze.

"On to what?" I counter innocently.

"That kiss. That _damn _kiss. That wasn't just a kiss, was it? You wouldn't kiss me."

"So you think you're not good enough for me, then." I smile dazzlingly at her, but she isn't fazed. At all. Shit. "Well, Sonny, most girls go through periods of insecurity, and combined with PMSing, I can see why you're in such a bad mood."

"Shut the hell up, Chad. We both know why I'm in a bad mood." She puts her hands on her hips, reminding me fleetingly of a _Mackenzie Falls _episode.

"Don't worry, Por - Sonny. I'm there for you, through the good and the bad," I say.

"Don't _even _use your useless scripts on me, ass!" she yells.

"You watch my show. I knew it. Can't get enough of me, can you?" I tease.

"That is NOT what this is about, and I think I've had more than enough of you, Chad." Oh, so she's not even in a mood to blush and deny watching my show. This is going to be harder than I thought. Might as well give up and go back to celebrating a plot well carried out.

"Okay, well, the exit's over there." I point towards it and start to walk away, but Sonny clutches my shoulder and whirls me around.

"Why did you kiss me?" she demands.

"I'm in love with you."

She laughs, a high-pitched, crazy sound that makes me wonder, for the first time, _What have I done to her? _"Don't give me that bull! Now, tell me WHY!" She grabs my shirt collar and yanks on my neck until we're eye-to-eye.

"Wow, Sonny, I didn't know you wanted to be this close to me."

"Shut up, you pervert. Now I want to know. Why. You. Kissed. Me."

I pull myself away and grin at her, making her face turn a shade of scarlet in anger. "It's simple, Sonny, simple. You see, if I can make your cast mates hate you, then the tension will be clear to see in sketches. The ratings of _So Random! _will go way down, and _Mackenzie Falls _will be the best by a landslide."

"So that's it." It isn't a question. It isn't even loud. It's hardly a whisper, a tiny statement of calm acceptance that doesn't match at all with the heat and madness radiating off of Sonny.

"Yeah, that's it. Now -" Quick as a flash, I whip the cap off her head. "You can't show this to your cast mates to defend yourself."

She manages a half-smile of bitterness. "There's no camera in it, you idiot."

"Oh." I rapidly check it, shrug, and hand it back to her. "Well, okay. So, why don't you tell me how my plan is going?"

"It would give you too much satisfaction," she replies simply. She's gone quiet. Something is wrong. I'm confused. There's no anger anymore, just a coolness towards me. A cold hatred. It chills me to the bone, and I lose my cocky air for a minute and shiver.

"Tell me."

"No."

"Then tell me what's wrong?"

"Besides hearing that you kissed me to ruin my show?"

"Oh! I get it. You're upset that when you kissed me, you thought I loved you, just as you love me, and now, upon learning that I, in fact, don't, and just did it as part of a plan, your heart is torn into pieces!" I snap my fingers as the pieces all fall together.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about, Cooper." And, without warning (unless you count the tear streaks from earlier), she bursts into tears.

"What? What'd I say?"

"You're so _full _of yourself, you son of a bitch! I don't care if you love me or not, because I hate you! _So Random! _was my favorite show, my biggest dream. You took that away, you and your stupid plan." Sonny's still not shouting, and that annoys me most of all. I want her to be angry. It makes for a better fight. But then her words sink in, and I tilt my head.

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"I got fired, Chad." Then she's sobbing too hard to talk, and I feel numb.

She's gone.

Sonny's gone.

Sonny's gone?

She can't be.

She can't be gone.

She just can't be.

_What have I done?_

"Seriously?" I rasp. She wipes her eyes, getting black marks on her hands from mascara, and nods miserably. _Shit!_ _This did NOT go the way I wanted it to, damn it._

"I'm sorry, Sonny -" I start, but she shakes her head and sprints out of the room. I force my feet to carry me after her, trying to clear the ice that's seeming to turn my brain to mush.

I push the door open and see her dragging a suitcase with wheels towards a small car. I can just make out her mother through the grimy windshield, a dark-haired woman staring sympathetically at her daughter. She then notices me, and her eyes narrow. I wince away from her stare and start dashing after Sonny, who is closing the car door shut, crying.

"SONNY!" I shout, as loud as I can, waving my arms (_I must look like an idiot_). Sonny turns her head towards me, but she doesn't glare at me like usual. Instead, she just looks at me with cold indifference.

No one is indifferent to Chad Dylan Cooper.

No one but the girl he ruined.

"SONNY!" I repeat, but the car's driving away. I fall to my knees in the grass, watching it until it's only a navy blur. Sonny's gone.

"Sonny… don't leave me."

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**Author's Note: **Next chapter there won't be an end-of-chapter author's note, so let's get all the end-of-story stuff out of the way now.

Thanks to everyone for reading, alerting, favoriting, reviewing - it makes my day. You guys are great. I wouldn't have been able to do this without all your encouragement and kind words. I mean, seriously, over 20 reviews? I dreamed, but realistically, I didn't think it would happen. I'm thrilled about that.

This story has been a ton of fun to write. I know I made Sonny a screaming, crying, unfortunate person through most of this - that might change in the sequel, might not. It probably will, but I'm toying around with a few different plots. Feel free to PM me a suggestion. I'd love to hear it.

Next chapter, the last one, Chad reflects on what he's done. It's going to be a songfic, probably, to one of my favorite songs.

Till next time,

Spazz


	9. All I Ever Wanted

**Author's Note: **The last chapter! :o Enjoy. I love this song; if you haven't heard it you should listen to it. All the websites I visited had different lyrics for the song (yikes) but I went with the one that I could work with the best. Don't expect _Perspective _until Saturday after this one. I would love to get it out earlier, but I still need to get the idea straight in my head, and I'm going on vacation this Saturday. No computer access. So I hope this makes up for it! Thanks again, everyone, for reading, reviewing, alerting... thanks so much.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the song All I Ever Wanted by Kelly Clarkson, or Sonny With a Chance.

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All I Ever Wanted  
Chad

_Tear up the photographs  
__But yesterday won't let go  
__Every day, every day, every minute_

It's Tawni who finds him, sitting out there in the grass when it's time to go home. He's got his wallet on the ground, and in his hands is a small picture of Sonny. He's ripping it to shreds, muttering, "Forget her, she doesn't matter, you did nothing wrong" under his breath. Tawni, fighting against what her brain is telling her to do, walks over to Chad and stares down at him. He glances up, and embarrassment crosses his face. Chad stands up and looks her in the eye, almost daring her to say something, which of course she does, but to his surprise, it isn't rude.

"It's not your fault, it's mine. Sorry… I think I made a mistake," she comforts him. He doesn't even bother correcting her, just watches her as she ambles away. It's then that he remembers that everyone besides him and Sonny thinks that they're dating.

He thinks he made a mistake too.

_Here comes the emptiness  
__Just can't leave lonely alone  
__Every day, every day, hey hey_

He's ridiculous, and he knows it. It's like he's lost something inside himself.

Chad Dylan Cooper confronts the fact that he's screwed up everything, and that sometimes, things don't go his way. The world doesn't revolve around him.

But it should. Then whatever mistake Tawni made wouldn't have gotten Sonny fired, and gone forever.

Still, he can't quite convince himself that it's her fault. It's his. He'd give anything to be able to blame somebody else, but he'll settle for hating himself. He might as well. It gives him someone to hate. He needs hate, right now.

_This second-chancin's really getting me down  
__You give and taking everything I dreamed about_

His phone buzzes in his pocket. Chad takes it out and flips it open. It's a text message… from Sonny.

_I'm sry 4 blowin up at u. I was just upset and needed some1 2 blame it on. U no how it feels, I bet. But I guess I can't stay mad at the 1 person in Hollywood who doesn't h8 me. It's my own fault, I was gullible enough 2 kiss u. I should hav known. So I just wanted 2 say I was sorry. Friends? Well, not friends, but wutever we were b4 now? _Chad snaps his phone shut and curses under his breath. So now selfish, selfish Sonny can't even let him hate himself. This sucks. He doesn't reply, but instead opens the door to his Mercedes and starts driving.

_It's time you let me know, let me know just let go_

He wishes she would hate him too.

_All I ever wanted, all I ever wanted  
__Was a simple way to get over you_

A few days later, he's tried everything he can think of to get over Sonny. He's been on ten dates with hot girls, far better-looking than Sonny. He's gotten drunk, which was pretty stupid, because he's not sure but he _thinks _that someone got photos of him acting like a retard. And still, he's not over her, and beginning to think he'll never be.

But he wasn't in love, he knows. She was a drug to him. He didn't care about her feelings, much. Any reaction, any anger from Sonny just fueled him, made him feel good. Proving her wrong, taking her challenges, made him feel good. Now he's going through withdrawal symptoms, like actually feeling bad about what he's done.

The hate died days ago. He can't hate himself. No one can hate Chad Dylan Cooper.

Not even Sonny.

_All I ever wanted, all I ever wanted  
__Was an in-between to escape this desperate scene_

He comes into work everyday and throws himself into his acting. He hasn't done this well in ages. The producers are proud of him, and he even got a movie offer two days ago. It takes place in Switzerland.

He refused. This is his home, and he's not ready to leave. _Mackenzie Falls _isn't a good distraction, but he has a feeling that even halfway around the world, acting still won't be. Nothing's a good enough distraction. Nothing.

_Where every lie reveals the truth_

Off-set, he's less cocky, more reserved. Yesterday Portlyn came up to him and sat down beside him. "Hey, are you okay? This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain former Chuckle City member, would it?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. And of course not!" he had snapped. She pursed her lips and half-smiled, shaking her head. He doesn't want to remember that, or think about if she believed him or not.

_Baby cause I all ever wanted  
__All I ever wanted was you_

_Ya, sure. _He finally texts her back, having nothing better to do when he's not acting. He's kind of glad that she's willing to forgive him now. He didn't want her to hate him forever. Before it was easy to forget that, but now that the hate's gone, so is that desire to have Sonny blame it on him. He's becoming more of himself again.

Kind of.

_I'd rather walk alone  
__Don't wanna chase you around  
__Every day, every day, every minute_

"You miss her, don't you?"

Portlyn raises the question as she plops down beside him on the couch. He glowers at her. "Miss who?"

"Sonny Munroe. Your girlfriend. If you didn't know that, you're stupider than I thought."

"And you're more perceptive than I thought. But she's not my girlfriend." He sighs, looking down at his feet. "Yeah, I miss her. So?"

"So why don't you go after her? She's probably going back home, to Wisconsin. Why don't you visit her?"

"Because I don't need her." It's true, but the words still cut him like knives as he realizes it. He doesn't need Sonny. Even so, he wants her.

But following her is out of the question, if only because it would hurt his pride.

_I'd fall a thousand times  
__Before I let you drag me down  
__Every day, every day, hey hey_

"Then man up!" she orders. "You've been moping around for days!"

He stands up. "I guess you're right," he agrees. He can't let thoughts of Sonny ruin who he is. He's Chad Dylan Cooper, heartbreaker, dream-maker, and the best actor of the generation. If that all ends just because of Sonny... well, he just won't let that happen.

_Your new beginning was a perfect ending_

A few minutes later, Sonny responds to his text with a smiley face. That was it. Then he receives another message. _We r headed 2 a small town in Nevada. Not movin 2 WI. I wanted 2 b closer 2 Hollywood, in case I get another opportunity. My agent says it's likely that it wil happen soon. I'd really like 2 b in a comedy again._

Just like that, a door slams shut. She's really gone. She's not coming back to _So Random!_.

That ended when he chased her out.

_But I keep feeling  
__we've already been here before_

For the next few days, she texts him off and on, probably because he's the only one willing to respond. She lets him know that they _are_, in fact, going back to Wisconsin, but only for a visit before moving to Nevada. Their conversations involve many 'fine's and 'good's and a heck of a lot of arguing. It almost feels the same.

But different.

_It's time you let me know, let me know just let go_

He doesn't pretend he doesn't like their conversations. He does.

But Chad just wishes she would stop. He's supposed to be getting over her.

_All I ever wanted, all I ever wanted  
__Was a simple way to get over you_

So for one day, he doesn't text her back. He ignores everything she sends him, reading texts but not responding. Then in the afternoon, he doesn't even read them.

Then in the evening, the temptation gets too great, and he picks through the pile of them, one by one. The last one says, _U h8 me 2 now, don't u?_

That's the last time he tries that.

_All I ever wanted, all I ever wanted  
__Was an in-between to escape this desperate scene_

Instead, he searches for more distractions, so he can still reply to her texts, but not as much.

Long story short: he sucks at tennis. He also sucks at bowling, basketball, football (he got hit in the face, and the make-up artists had quite a challenge with hiding that black eye), and hockey.

Sports just aren't his thing.

_Where every lie reveals the truth_

Portlyn approaches him later that day.

"You've been better lately. Are you over her now?" she asks gently.

"Of course," he replies simply, keeping his face level.

Somehow, she still gets that half-smile that he feels like punching off, and walks away.

_Baby cause I all ever wanted  
__All I ever wanted was you__  
__Tell me with so many out there  
__Why I always turn to you_

He sees their faces, all those good-looking models that stroll around Hollywood, in their clothes that are _much _more revealing than what Sonny wears.

But he doesn't feel anything, until their smiles turn into Sonny's goofy grin, and he has to wonder if he's going insane.

_Your goodbyes tear me down every time_

When she says good-bye on the phone, he always gets this weird, stomach-clenching feeling that it's the last time she'll talk to him. He hates that feeling. It hurts almost as much as when she left for the first time.

_And it's so easy to see that the blame is on me_

It's all his fault.

For making her leave, for texting her, for caring about her.

For missing her.

For… maybe even loving her.

_All I ever wanted, all I ever wanted  
__Was a simple way to get over you_

He's stopped trying to get over her. It just doesn't work.

He can't stop texting her. It's the best part of his day. So he talks to her and remembers her. It doesn't even matter anymore that he can't forget her.

He wants to, but he doesn't dare, for fear he'll lose her forever.

He's a coward.

_All I ever wanted, all I ever wanted  
__Was an in-between to escape this desperate scene_

He's also stopped looking for distractions.

There's nothing to distract him from her.

_All I ever wanted, all I ever wanted  
__Was a simple way to get over you_

"Portlyn," he says, "how am I supposed to get over her?"

He's out in the open with her now. There's no point in not being.

Portlyn smiles at him. "You don't," she softly answers. "There's no easy way out of this. You heal over time, on your own."

Chad puts his head in his hands. It hurts too much to wait that long.

_All I ever wanted, all I ever wanted  
__Was an in-between to escape this desperate scene_

"Is there a way to speed it up? To remove thoughts of her from my mind?"

"Nope," Portlyn says. "You can try, but you'll never succeed. I've been there, and done that…"

He wants to ask her what she's talking about, but he doesn't dare, because sadness settles in her eyes and she won't talk anymore.

_Where every lie reveals the truth_

It's three in the morning when he hears his phone vibrating against the end table.

He opens it up, blinking sleep from his eyes. _Chad, tell everyone I love them and forgive them. And you, too. I love you and I forgive you. I'm glad we're friends now. And don't worry_

_Don't worry about what? _he thinks. But he makes a mental note to tell everyone that in the morning, and sends a response back.

_I'm glad we're friends 2. _

It's a lie. He's not glad.

He's always wanted more than that.

He doesn't mind friends right now. He's glad he can text her. Later, though, he _will _mind.

Chad can't fall back asleep, so he flips on the television to some breaking news about a horrible car accident. Using the remote, he changes it to music and relaxes. He smiles to himself, happy that he and Sonny are okay, that he didn't ruin _everything, _but then he rolls over and punches his pillow.

_This isn't enough._

But maybe it's what's meant to be.

_Baby cause I all ever wanted  
__All I ever wanted was you_


End file.
